XCEL 7mm DRYLOCK Celliant Black RT Boots

I love XCEL’s drylock system for their wetsuit products. These boots are particularly good for locking tight against any wetsuit material that’s smooth skin on the outside. Thus, they completely eliminate ANY flushing of water from your ankles which makes your wetsuit retain all the water you’ve finally warmed up to body temperature from leaking back out. Additionally, these being 7mm, they do an excellent job at keeping your feet nice and warm, especially if you’re really cold natured like myself. I get cold really fast, so I’ll wear a wetsuit in water as warm as 85 degrees. When I first put these boots on, the tightness and thickness of the neoprene were actually squishing the muscles in my feet, which can be really painful, unless of course, you’re a fan of having muscle cramps in your feet. I thought they might be too small, however, my toes were in the right spot inside the boots. So I took them off, put soap throughout the insides, filled them with hot water, and then put them back on. This allowed my feet to properly fit much better into the boots and, thanks to the hot water, allowed the neoprene to stretch and conform to my feet much easier. Thick neoprene boots that aren’t zippered along the side are really hard to get your feet into in the first place. And even after you do, they might not be properly situated on your foot. So before you discard these as being too tight, thus the wrong size, try doing this and then see how they feel. These dive boots now fit PERFECT. And when you’re diving or just walking along in cold water, the lack of having a zipper, while seemingly a major inconvenience, works much better at keeping all that cold water on the outside. Meanwhile, the Drylock system allows your feet to share in that nice warm thin layer of water between your skin and the wetsuit itself that your legs have already warmed up, WITHOUT having any of that warm water getting flushed out the top of the boots.You may find that these boots seal so well to a smooth skin wetsuit that when you exit the water, all that water that’s inside your suit to keep you warm will have no means of exiting your suit and will instead run down into your legs until you pull open the seal between the wetsuit and boot tops.These boots have one major negative to them...they aren’t hard soled. I really wish they were available with a hard sole version for walking over rocks, oyster shells, and other items that may be able to puncture through a soft soled boot. That would’ve made them the perfect boot for everything else besides surfing (where having soft soled boots are a plus). That’s the only reason for giving 4 stars instead of 5. I hope that eventually XCEL will offer this boot in a hard sole. ... and while you’re at it XCEL, how about a fully smooth skin wetsuit lineup? They’re much warmer when out of the water because there’s no nylon fabric on the outside to retain water. And when scuba diving, they glide through the water much easier, which reduces air consumption, allowing divers to stay under for slightly longer periods of time.

These are the warmest booties I have ever had for kiteboarding. This particular pair ran a bit short in the big toe area. I have had 2 other pair of these in the past that were the same size 11's, but they were both just a tad longer. Wish this new pair was a bit longer, but I'm figuring they will stretch a little over time. FYI: I use these alone for kiteboarding in temps as low as the mid 40's. For temps in low 40's and down to mid 30's I wear some all wool socks underneath and my feet stay toasty warm! :-)

These are the best booties I've owned. Super warm, very comfortable. Surfed about 52 degree water and had zero problems. The velcro strap along the midfoot makes the booties feel perfectly snug. I was concerned that there was no velcro strap above the ankle to keep water out but that has been a nonissue. Would get these again no question.

These boots have kept my feet warm throughout the cool New England Fall water temps, I have yet to use them in the extreme cold of the winter, but based on my previous use I am confident they will keep my feet warm even in frigid temps.

They sent me one 5mm bootie and one 7mm bootie. I didn't realize it until just today, but it explains why one of my feet was getting cold faster than the other all winter. It's definitely too late to return them as I've surfed in them all winter, but it's really annoying because I normally get a few seasons out of a pair of booties.Be sure to check the booties when you get them.

I’m a size 12, ordered a size 13 and they fit perfect

These are the best booties that I've owned. Nice and warm, good traction and a snug fit.

Bought some 7mm drylocks about 5 years ago. Time to get a new pair. They are outstanding. The design keeps water from flushing in the top, plenty of traction on the sole and really helps when walking through gravel. A lot to love about these. I remember the 13 fitting a little tight at first but they stretch just a little. 7mm is a little bit of an overkill for where I live but I like my feet nice and warm and like the extra padding. - Jeff B.